OTHER CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS III

I am not sure I like better the neo plagiarism of the first two or the more original newer albums as these latter ones are very noisy and for no particularly good reasons. I find that it takes simply to much involvment from the listener to get into this album and most likely for the deceiving results/dividends (or repead harvest if you wish).

I saw them once live in a multi-header and we got out by the third number to get a pizza and come back for the following group . The music borders on progmetal which is a sharp contrast to their early neo-prog days.

Not as bad as I say it to be , you might give it another half star

GALAHAD's music is not overly progressive; they do, however, have a knack for catchy tunes that are miles ahead the best pop songs. Despite their poppish airs, I never tire of hearing them and I'm glad I have this album in my collection. There is some neat stuff here. "Aries" is a bombastic rocker and a fine album opener. "One for the Record" is a sort of nostalgic homage to PETER GABRIEL's live performances in the heydays of GENESIS (although no names are named, 70's proggers will recognize this instantly from the lyrics) - a little cheesy, perhaps, but moving. "Room 801" seems to be a favourite of many a GALAHAD fan but it is unfortunately nothing compared to what the band offers on their most recent album "Year Zero". "The Ceiling Speaks" is yet another nice piece of nostalgia but perhaps a little too 'neo-prog cliché' for my tastes. Finally, I must admit that hearing CAMEL's "Lady Fantasy" and GENESIS' "Chamber of 32 Doors" not only brought back some fond memories, but the tunes are both professionally done and executed with lots of heart. As usual, STU NICHOLSON provides some vibrant vocals and the sound quality (which is always a little shaky on GALAHAD albums) is not so bad here. For some unpretentious, good, clean fun, give this album an ear.

This is the third 'Other Crimes & Misdemeanours' album of rarities, and is probably the best is terms of recording quality. Like the others, it features music that is now hard to come by, although in this case some of these have been available on CD before. The CD is neatly divided into four, with the first session comprising the three songs that were released as a CDEP in 1993. "Aries" and "The Chase" were even at the time older songs that had yet to be recorded, while the third was "Learning Curve" which would later be re-recorded for the 'Sleepers' album.

The second section is the one probably of most interest to fans, as it features the three songs recorded live in the studio for the Radio One Rock Show back in 1991. The songs are "Face To The Sun", "One For The Record" (always a particular fave of mine, this tells the story of the Genesis reunion gig) and "Room 801". The third session is a live recording of "Exorcising Demons" that didn't make it onto the Classic Rock Live CD. I still feel that this is one of their most powerful numbers, twisting and belting through its ten minutes, and this version shows their restrained control. I still think that this ought to have been on the album proper.

The final session contains songs that were released on 'tributes CDs', which are now rare. The best of these has to be "The Ceiling Speaks", although Stu does smooth it just a bit too much. While this album may not have the consistency of a 'proper' release, it is one that all fans will be more than happy to part with the wonga for.

Originally appeared in Feedback #62, May 01

It appears that sometime around 1998 Roy Keyworth stepped down from his duties and he was briefly replaced by one Craig Wilson, but the following year he became again a stable branch of the Galahad line-up.In 2001 comes the third part of the ''Other crimes & misdemeanours'' series, originally released on Avalon and reissued in 2009 along with the second part by the Oskar label.

This is another nice archival document of Galahad's history with the first part, consisting of ''Aries'', ''The chase'' and ''Learning curve'', being of significant interest for fans of the band.These pieces were originally presented on the 94' ''Voiceprint sessions'' EP and date back from a 93' recording session, although the first two were written in 1987.What else should you expect than some flashy, melodic and deeply atmospheric, MARILLION-esque Neo Prog, featuring great work on keyboards with quasi-symphonic and even Classical leanings over tapping grooves and expressive vocals, typical 80's stuff played with energy and passion.Second part is dedicated to a live execution of Galahad at BBC back in 1991 with Tim Ashton on bass.The band represented its repertoire with ''Face to the sun'', ''One for the record'' and ''Room 801'', no surprise these performances are great, dynamic and powerful, all tracks sound better than on the original versions due to the energy of Galahad on lives, and the romanticism, MARILLION-like bombastic synths and dramatic segments are displayed here in full shape.''Exorcising Demons'' is a fourth live track in the row, but this one was to be included originally in Galahad's 96' live album ''Classic rock live'', but lack of space resulted to its isolation from the list.Not much to say, the track offers a heavier side of Galahad along with grandiose orchestral breaks and a deep lyricism due to Nicholson's unique vocals, another winner of this compilation.In the fourth and last part the band covers three classic tracks from three classic British Prog bands, ''The ceiling speaks'' of Twelfth Night with its spooky, semi-Punk attitude next to the symphonic flavor of Progressive Rock, ''Lady fantasy'' of Camel with its striking solos and brilliant keyboard passages and ''The chamber of 32 doors'' of Genesis with the smooth, organ-based textures, the mellow, poppy melodies and the eccentric, unique vocals of Nicholson in the role of Peter Gabriel.

Notice than the 2009 reissue contains also ''The pleasure house'', which was a song presented in ''The reading room'' compilation of LaBraD'or Records in 2000.Maybe the least efficient of all ''Other crimes & misdemeanours'' parts, still this is more consistent and well-worked of a release than any of Galahad early studio albums.Great band and a warmly recommended document.